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Cash-saving plan to make school fees affordable in UAE

Dubai - Main aim of loyalty programme is to decrease impact of tuition fees, by reducing cost of living

A new loyalty programme, which will be launched in the UAE in September, could eventually see education becoming cost-neutral for parents here.
High schooling fees have long been a point of contention in the UAE, but Gems Education is in the process of striking up an ecosystem of partnerships with some of the county's biggest brands in a bid to remove the monetary barrier in education.
"Our ambition is to put forward a set of benefits to our students and parents that will effectively make tuition cost-neutral in the long-run," Manav Fernandez, CRM and Customer Loyalty Head for the Gems 'Privilege and Rewards' programme told Khaleej Times.
The programme aims to give cash savings on an array of products and services and will initially target 48 UAE-based schools, 108,000 students, and 70,000 families including 10,000 colleagues' families.
"It will take time and it is a bold target but that's our vision," Dino Varkey, Managing Director and Board Member added.
For years, parents here have grappled with education authorities and schooling organisations to either freeze or reduce the ever-increasing school fees in the country, and Varkey told Khaleej Times this programme is an alternative to that request.
"The challenge with education is that we are regulated on fees and we are an industry where costs are continuing to increase. Salaries and resources increase year on year, but that hasn't stopped us realising the needs of the parents. That's why we have launched this initiative."
Given that the 48 schools impacted by the first roll-out will cover a diverse spectrum of tiers (from middle-income- to high-income-family students), Fernandez said it is conducting "market research to work out what partnerships will be most valuable" to each demographic.
"Some families may benefit most from offers on basics and essentials like groceries, yet others may find the availability of additional healthcare services more cost-effective. This will not be a one-size-fits-all approach."
And Varkey agreed, saying for this programme to be "truly successful" it has to respond to the specific needs of families.
From hotels to airlines, and restaurants to supermarkets, the main aim of this initiative is to decrease the impact of tuition fees, by reducing the cost of daily living.
Gems is already in talks with around 10 leading brands in the country and it will announce news over the next few months when solid partnerships are finalised.
Kelly@khaleejtimes.com
Ecosystem of partnership
Insurance
Healthcare
Internet/phone
Flights
Technology
Groceries
Hotels
Restaurants
Entertainment
Fitness
Holidays
Movies
Phase 1 roll-out will impact:
48 UAE-based schools
108,000 students
70,000 families
10,000 Gems colleagues